Well today, brothers and sisters, we come to a new section of the epistle of James, which I believe begins in verse 19 of chapter 1 today, our first text. And I think it runs pretty much to the end of chapter 2. Now I say pretty much. Because unlike the first section of James verses 2 through 18, which is fairly easy to discern, unlike that, the following section is a little bit less clear, at least where the new section ends. However, although I'm not dogmatic about it, we can disagree on this, I am inclined to see the next section as beginning in verse 19 of chapter 1 and pretty much going to the end of chapter 2. I think so for the following reasons. First, I would say a major theme of this upcoming section is words. You might say, yes, pastor, many words will be in this. It's like in Hamlet, what are you reading, my lord? Words, right? What I mean by words is that on the one hand, James will mention several times our words, especially as we'll see today, where he begins with our being slow to speak. Then in verse 26, he will criticize the religion of the man who does not bridle his tongue. And then in verse 12 of chapter two, he exhorts his readers to quote, so speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. So our words is a major theme in this section. On the other hand, James will also speak of the words of God in the sense of scripture. For example, James speaks in verse 21 of receiving the implanted word, and that word is the same one he mentioned in verse 18, by which they receive new birth. And then he goes on to exhort them to be doers of the word and not mere hearers of the word. And then in chapter two, though he doesn't use the Greek word logos for word, he goes on to speak of and quote scripture by another name, namely the law of God. Now, as we will see, the topic of our speech and our words in the epistle of James is by no means limited to this future section. Okay, we'll see that. However, given James's connections to the word of God and to our words, I think we can see for some reasons, which we'll discuss in a moment, that that is a common theme in this next section, all right? The second reason to see the new section of James as beginning in our text today and ending in chapter 2 is perhaps the repetition of the term righteousness. If you remember, we saw that James kind of bookends and divides his first section with endurance under trials, right? It may be then that he is bookending this new section by mentioning righteousness. For example, in verse 20, he says that the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Then he will basically end chapter 2 with a discussion of Abraham's righteousness before God. And so that may be another way that he is marking off his divisions, but let me just encourage you, it is far less clear in this section, and even if we are wrong, which we may be, that's okay, be encouraged that the message of James in this next section is not unclear, and some might parse it differently, and yet his message is intact and fairly straightforward, all right? Well, what is this message that we should look forward to in this next section? If we summarize the previous section about endurance under trials, how might we summarize the next one? I would say the following section speaks of our walking with and reflecting God. our walking with and reflecting God. I think we see this in many ways and often very subtly. James doesn't always spell it out for you, but you're like, I think it's there. I think there's a lot of depth to James the more I study him. For example, we will see today James calls us to be slow to anger. And yet slowness to anger is most commonly ascribed to whom in Scripture? To God. If you walk with this God who is slow to anger, you should reflect Him by yourself being slow to anger. Or in verse 27, He says that part of true religion is to visit widows and orphans. And yet, as we saw a few weeks ago, who is Himself the defender of widows and orphans par excellence? It's God Himself. Similarly, James talks about our words and God's word. And it may be that his point is that our words ought to be shaped by God's word. Or in chapter two, he will point to judging rightly and showing no favoritism. And when he does this, he will speak of God's law. And it may be that his point is our judgments should be based upon the judgments of God. And then lastly, by speaking of righteousness, his point is that a true faith is no dead faith, but a transformative faith, and it produces true deeds of righteousness which reflect the righteous character of God. And so we might say then that simply James is reminding his readers of the command of God to his people in Leviticus 11.44, be holy for I am holy. We might say, if you call yourself a Christian, you should reflect Christ with your life, with your heart, with your words, and your deeds. The challenge for us then, in this next section, is to evaluate ourselves. To be sure, am I reflecting the God whom I claim to be walking with? And when we find ways which do not reflect God, to repent of those. Well, in our text today, the first way that James is going to challenge us to reflect God, and one that he will repeat again and again throughout his epistle, is with our speech. As I said, James' concern with our speech is by no means limited to this present section of the epistle. Rather, I would say it is in one way or another found in every chapter of it. This is a major pastoral concern of James to his people. For example, again, we saw a moment ago, James tells his readers in verse 19 they are to be slow to speak. In verse 26 he says the religion of a man who does not bridle his tongue is worthless. In chapter 2, he addresses those who say to their poorer brethren, you stand over there or sit at my footstool. And to this, James exhorts them that they are to, quote, so speak and act as those who are judged by the law of liberty. However, James is not done. He continues in chapter three, verses one through 12, where he devotes by far the largest amount of attention to this topic with his famous discussion of the dangers of the tongue and the great need to bridle and keep it under control. However, he returns to the topic in chapter 4, verse 11, where he warns them, do not speak against one another, brethren. And then again in chapter 5, verse 9, where he says, do not complain, brethren, against one another, so that you yourselves may not be judged. And so, speech. And in particular, how Christians speak to one another is a major concern of James. And really, it's not hard to see why. On the one hand, words are incredibly powerful. We say the pen is mightier than the sword. What we really mean, in a sense, is words, right? Proverbs 18, 21, death and life are in the power of the tongue. Words have been the destruction or the flourishing of nations. And so we ought to take very, very, not to take heed, how we speak especially to one another. Furthermore, although James will by no means reduce our interactions with one another only to words, he won't let you get away with that. He'll challenge you down the road if all you have is words. Yet I would encourage you that the main way that you and I will interact with one another is by our words. You know, sometimes you see this with people who want to join a church. They're really eager to like get in and roll up their sleeves, and they're like, what are the practical needs of the church? And I kind of say, I kind of want to say, we don't have a whole lot, but you can just go around encouraging people. And by and large, that is what it's gonna look like for you to love your neighbor. You know, the second greatest command is to love your neighbor like yourself. And I will tell you, church, the main way that you will do that here is with your mouth on every Sunday. Whether you are building up or tearing down. Our words are the main way that we interact with other humans. Not to neglect deeds of service, but our words are the main way. Lastly, and I think this is important for James, and in this, he is really just reflecting Christ again. But I think that for James, our words are important because ultimately, they are a reflection of the soul. The mouth is the gateway of the heart. And I think then, this is important for James because as we'll see, when he addresses speech, he does address speech, but he really uses it as an occasion often to address a deeper heart issue. It's not just speech in and of itself, it's the heart behind speech. For example, consider verse 19. We are to be slow to speak. But as we will see, the deeper issue that he's addressing in this chapter, in this text, is unjust anger, not just speech. Or in chapter 2, he rebukes the rich brother for how he speaks to the poor brother, but the deeper issue is favoritism and a lack of love for neighbor. Or in chapter four, he rebukes those, quote, who say, today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make profit. But according to James, those words are symptomatic of vanity. So you see, our speech is important for many reasons, but one of them is because it reveals what is in our hearts. And that's so important, brothers and sisters, because true religion and true worship is heart religion and heart worship. Your words are incredibly indicative of how you worship God, which is why James says, if anyone thinks himself to be religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his own heart, and this man's religion is worthless. So keep in mind, James will talk a lot about speech, and we want to examine our speech. Speech is not nothing, right? But really more than that, we want to examine our hearts. Because as Christ says in Matthew 12, 12, for the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. And if we would honor God with our speech and love our neighbors with our words, we must in fact go deeper than the tongue and address the issues of the heart. Well, with that, let's finally turn to our text today and see that James is going to give us some incredibly simple but also profound advice concerning speech and anger. And just as an encouragement, you know, last week, by God's grace, we celebrated our one-year anniversary as a church, and I encouraged you that To go from one year to the 50-year anniversary, one thing we need to do is constantly remembering and being thankful for God answering our provisions, or giving us our provisions, and this will fuel our faith, right? I would say another way that we will make it from 1 to 50 is by heeding the commands in this chapter. Because I can tell you, church, churches that implode, they are not quick to hear. They are very quick to speak and they are very quick to anger. And if we don't get down these basics, we will not make it to 50. Amen? Well, if you are taking notes, I have the following three points. Very simple. You'll be like, where'd you get that from? Point number one, be quick to hear. Be quick to hear. Point number two, be slow to speak. Be slow. No, I'm just kidding. Be slow to speak. Point number three, be slow to anger. Be slow to anger. Let's begin with point number one, be quick to hear. Again, in verse 19, James says, this you know, my beloved brethren, but everyone must be quick to hear. Now before we meditate on what he means by that, I want you to consider two things, okay? First, with each of these three things that James will tell us, be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger, these all have some qualifications, and though that might seem obvious, I think it's still helpful to mention them to ensure that we don't just kind of take James here and run with him and misunderstand him, all right? For example, you ought to be quick to hear, but not everything, Christian. As John Gill says, not just anything, not idle and unprofitable talk or filthy and corrupt communication, but wholesome advice, good instructions, and the gracious experiences of saints and above all the word. It's kind of obvious, but there are some things you should be very slow to hear. And in fact, you should just not put your ears within their range. Similarly, we ought to be slow to speak And yet, in another sense, we might say that at other times we ought to be quick, or at least ready to speak under certain circumstances. For example, Peter says we are to, quote, be ready to make a defense to everyone who asks to give an account for the hope that is in us. The idea of ready there is like being in a state of readiness. ready to answer at a moment's call, you might say, ready to answer quickly. And so, in certain circumstances, we should be quick to speak. Lastly, James tells us we are to be slow to anger, but remember that James is not calling us to be stoics. who experienced no emotions or affections whatsoever. Rather, in the context, James is addressing unjust anger. He is not condemning all anger whatsoever because not all anger is sinful. It can't be because Jesus got angry and God is described as being angry at times. There is such a thing as just anger in scripture. For example, in Mark 3, 5, right before Jesus heals a man with the withered hand on the Sabbath, we read, quote, after looking around at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, he said to the man, stretch out your hand. Jesus was angry. at the injustice in their hearts. They so misunderstood the purpose of the Sabbath and had so little compassion on the man with a withered hand, and yet his anger was perfectly just. And for you and I, if we are called to become like Christ, then that means that things that anger Jesus should anger you. Or perhaps to say it another way, if Jesus gets mad about something and you don't, there is probably a big problem going on with your heart. Just anger is good in that sense. It is just, all right? So all that to say, keep in mind, James is basically instructing us with proverbs, and you don't take proverbs and just run with them and apply them to every single circumstance. The second thing to note in our text today is the context for these three commands, the context. And what I mean by that is that even though James mentions anger last as the third thing, it is really anger which is the heart issue that he's dealing with. And so even though it's last, we should let it inform the first two things he says. When he says be quick to hear or slow to speak, he's specifically talking about when you're angry and in some kind of a conflict with somebody. In fact, it's very interesting. I had never heard this before. But many think that James gives this advice here because as we saw a couple weeks ago, he just gave a very strong rebuke to those who accuse God of tempting them. And it's as if he's saying, don't be angry at my rebuke. Hear me, hear the word of God that I am giving you. It's interesting that in the section before our text today, the word of God is mentioned as well in the text afterwards. For example, in verse 18, he says, in the exercise of his will, he brought us forth by the word of truth. And then in verse 21, he says, in humility, receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. Well, many Puritans and, funny enough, modern liberal scholars alike Many see James' exhortation in our text today, then, as related to that previous rebuke, in the sense that he's just rebuked some of them very strongly, and James knows that some of them might respond by not being quick to hear, or being quick to argue with him, or quick to anger. And I think there's actually some truth to this suggestion. My only caveat with that is I think some people take this a bit too far, and here we will have to disagree with our beloved Thomas Manton. What I mean by that is that when James says we are to be quick to hear, Manton understands that almost exclusively as to hear the word. Or when James says we are to be slow to speak, he understands that to mean that, quote, we should not be quick in our judgments concerning doctrine and points of divinity that we hear in the word. And then lastly, when we are called to be slow to anger, he understands that to mean when the word rebukes us. Now those things are all true. You ought to be quick to hear the word, et cetera. But I think James's words are a bit more general than that. I think there is a connection and application to those who were just rebuked, but the principles he gives are really of a broader nature. And this is why he says, everyone must be quick to hear. It is general advice to all, though I think he intends a special application to those who were just rebuked. All that being said, anger is the real issue that he is dealing with, and it should inform how we understand his first two commands. All right? All right. Well, with those things out of the way, what does it mean to be quick to hear? Quickness to hear is used, speaks not so much about speed, we might say, as about a disposition and posture of the heart that we are to have. Thomas Manton, for example, says it is, quote, a freeness of the spirit to do something without reluctancy when you do it. It does not take you days and days or even hours and hours to be ready to hear. Your heart is already in a posture and it has such a disposition as at the moment it is ready to hear and to listen. Really what this speaks about, brothers and sisters, is teachability, teachability. Those who are slow to hear in scripture are those who are unteachable. And this is why the fool in Proverbs is unteachable, because he does not listen or receive correction. Proverbs 13.1, a wise man accepts his father's discipline, but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke. In fact, there are many warnings in the Proverbs about trying to instruct a fool. You can do it, but you probably shouldn't, right? Proverbs 9, 7, he who corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself, and he who reproves a wicked man gets insults for himself. The fool is not teachable. He will throw your wisdom right back in your face. He doesn't listen. This slowness to hear and lack of teachability is due to the fact that the fool is wise in his own eyes. Think about that. Irony of ironies, the fool thinks he is wise, and therefore he doesn't listen. Proverbs 12, 15, the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel. Consider that, the one who is wise in his own eyes there is compared not to someone who is humble, but to someone who listens, implying that that's why he doesn't listen, because he is wise in his own eyes. What wisdom can you give me? How can you instruct me? I ought to rather be instructing you. I am so wise, says the fool. In fact, One of the spiciest proverbs of all the proverbs, and there's a couple of them that are, they're really, they're biting. It is against the person who is wise in his own eyes. He is the ultimate fool. It says, for example, Proverbs 16, 12, this is funny. Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him. It's as if the one who is wise in his own eyes is in a special class of folly. There's the average fool, right? We all know he's a fool, but the one who is wise in his own eyes is a mega fool. The 19th century Anglican Charles Bridges explains it this way. He says, the natural fool has only one hindrance, his own ignorance. And some people do foolish things, but they kind of don't know any better. They need to be instructed and shown the right way. The conceited fool, he says, has two hindrances. Ignorance and self-delusion. That is the man who is wise in his own eyes. He is not only ignorant, but self-deluded about his own wisdom. By contrast, brothers and sisters, The wise man is the one who listens, and it is his listening which makes him wise. Proverbs 9, 7 through 9, give instruction to a wise man and he will be still wiser. Teach a righteous man and he will increase his learning. Again, the wise man listens. Why? Because he's not wise in his own eyes. Rather, he's keenly aware of his own folly and sin. But by not being wise in his own eyes, he becomes wiser. It's interesting. In Proverbs 30, we find recorded for us the words of Agur. I don't know how we say his name. He's mentioned nowhere else in scripture, but he must be pretty wise, because his sayings were collected in the book of Proverbs, and that's, you're pretty wise if you make that list, okay? Listen to how he begins his words of wisdom, and compare this to the fool. He says in verse two, surely I am more stupid than any man. and I do not have the understanding of a man, neither have I learned wisdom, nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy One." That is a wise man speaking. Speaking in hyperbole, but speaking words of wisdom nevertheless, he is not wise in his own eyes. As Jonathan Edwards explains, he that has much grace apprehends much more than others that great height to which his love ought to ascend, and he sees better than others how little he has risen to that height, and therefore estimating his love by the whole height of his duty, it appears astonishingly low and little in his eyes. So it is with the wise man, brothers and sisters. His wisdom appears astonishingly low and little in his eyes, so you know what he does? He eagerly accepts correction and wisdom at every turn. He looks for it, he seeks it like silver or gold, and therefore he increases in wisdom while the fool thinks he has it all and becomes more foolish. When it comes to anger, though, brothers and sisters, we ought to be quick to hear, because otherwise we are declaring that not only do we think we are wise in our own eyes, but also perfectly just, and that our judgment is perfect. Philosophers and theologians alike correctly understand anger as a response to injustice of some kind, whether real or perceived. And think about that. When you are angry, it's because something, whether it's real or not, some injustice has just happened, right? Furthermore, they often speak of anger as a desire for vengeance. And I think we can understand vengeance in two ways, either as sinful or as, well, you might think, how can vengeance not be sinful? Well, God says, vengeance is mine. Right? But in either event, if you are angry, even if it's a just anger, you are desiring to see God make something right. An injustice has happened, and I'm angry. Make this right. Punish those, Lord, who have done this. Right? Brothers and sisters, if we are not quick to listen, We are essentially saying that not only am I wise in my own eyes, but I am perfectly just in my own eyes. I don't need to listen because I have all the facts already. I know all I need to know. I perfectly see into everyone's hearts. I discern all motives and I am totally free from partiality. Therefore, my judgment is just and my anger is justified. But how many of us, brothers and sisters, can attest to how imperfect, massively imperfect, our judgment is? How many of us have been seething with anger? hopping mad, as one of my professors in seminary used to say, only to find out we completely misunderstood the situation, we completely discerned wrongly the motives of others, we thought the worst of people. And how many times did we think our anger was justified when come to find out the only ones who had actually committed any injustice was us, with our raging anger. We are so quick to be judged, jury, and executioner, and in this we are like the fool. Because of this, brothers and sisters, we ought to be quick to hear, especially when we are angry. Because not only can we be wrong about the facts, but also because unjust anger blinds our own sin, blinds our own hearts to our sin. If a judge is to be impartial, unjust anger blinds us as a judge to make that. We must be very quick to hear. Slow down next time you are angry. Take a deep breath. Perhaps a true injustice has occurred, but still slow down and be quick to hear. In fact, on a practical note, though hearing is juxtaposed with speaking here, a practical way that you can be quick to hear when you are angry, you know what it is? Ask questions. Ask genuine questions, not loaded questions, which are really just not questions at all, but accusations. Ask questions. Make sure you have all the facts. Ask people about their motives. Why did you do that? Do you not see how this could have done that? Ask them questions. Ask questions of others. Seek counsel. They might tell you, your judgment is wrong. Good, you got correction. You are now wiser. That is what the wise man does. He is quick to hear and therefore gains wisdom. And I would say the most just people in the world are aware of how unjust their hearts can be. We must be quick to hear. Point number two, be slow to speak. Be slow to speak, James says. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak. And as I just said, being slow to speak is in many ways the same thing as being quick to hear. It's just kind of the negative side of it. Negatively, I am keeping silent so that positively I can hear. And for that reason, I'm not going to belabor this point all that much. I will just encourage you though, Be slow to speak, because once something is said, it cannot be unsaid, brothers and sisters. It can be forgotten. It can be forgiven. But it cannot be unsaid. And oh, brothers and sisters, how many of us, if we could go back in time to just put duct tape on our mouths, oh, don't say that thing. How many of us cringe when we remember certain mean, cruel things that came out of our mouths? You know, part of the reason why we have to be so careful with our words when we are angry is because of how we are tempted to use our words when we are angry. And what I mean by that is that if anger is a response to injustice and a desire to see vengeance, so often with our words, it's not that we are merely throwing out accusations. Nor is it simply that we are pronouncing a wrong judgment, but that in our anger we have moved from judge to jury and we are now executioner and we are speaking to inflict vengeance and harm with our words. Not only is that not loving your brother or sister and tantamount to murder, according to Christ, because you're not seeking their good, right? The sixth commandment, you should seek the good of your neighbor. You're trying to harm your neighbor, right? But more than that, we should be slow to speak because it can be forgotten and forgiven, but it cannot be unsaid. Be slow, lest you commit murder with your words. All of this, though, brings us to the heart of the matter, which is anger. As I said, James is concerned with speech, but really, he's concerned with the heart matter behind it, and now we come to it, and it is anger. Point number three, be slow to anger. Verse 19, this you know, my beloved brethren, but everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. We have found the culprit. Being slow to hear and quick to speak are problems, but they're really just symptomatic of the deeper problem of unjust anger. And if you can root this out of your heart, it will solve the other two. Now at the outset here, I think it will be helpful to distinguish between the different ways in which our anger can be unjust. Because all unjust anger is unjust, but it's not all unjust in the same way. And I think that by understanding that, we will actually be able to kind of pinpoint where we go wrong in our anger, okay? I have two specific ways in which anger can be unjust. First, Sometimes our anger is unjust because it does not have a just cause. Sometimes our anger is unjust because it does not have a just cause. It may have a cause, but not a just cause, which is to say God's law has not been violated and no true injustice has occurred. This was the case with Cain in Genesis 4. There we read, quote, so it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. Abel on his part also brought of the firstlings of the flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering, but for Cain and for his offering he had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. And the Lord said to Cain, why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? In other words, your anger is entirely unjustified. This is actually your fault. God says, if you do well, and the implication is, he did not do well, it was actually Cain who committed the injustice, and yet he's mad at God? He has no just cause whatsoever. And brothers and sisters, sometimes we become angry and we have no just cause. Maybe our pride is wounded. That's not a just cause. Maybe my feelings got hurt, but that's not a just cause. And when we find that we are entirely unjustified in our anger, here's what you do. Stop and desist and repent. So often we try to salvage the anger, don't we? Okay, I don't have a true injustice here, but there is an injustice out there somewhere. You're right, I assumed the worst of you, but I only did it because I know how you truly are. My anger's just, just stop, just own it, repent, walk away before you become more of a fool. The other way, in which our anger can be unjust, and it may be that James' words speak more to this, and oftentimes this can be the harder case to discern, is when there is a just cause, when true injustice has been committed, but in which our anger goes beyond the bounds of justice. Okay? For example, This was the anger of David when he was insulted by Nabal the fool. Now David did have a just cause. Not only did David's men not bother Nabal's herdsmen in the wilderness, but they rather protected them. And David's request for a little food in return was not only reasonable, but he did it in a respectful manner And to this Nabal the fool responds with insults and mocking. He had a just cause. In fact, we're told a few verses later, quote, the Lord struck Nabal and died. And I think the implication is God avenged David. Nabal did do something wrong. However, though he had a just cause, his anger becomes unjust. in that he responds to Nabal, not by trusting the Lord to avenge him, which he does so much with Saul. Isn't that so ironic? So many, the Lord will, you know, the Lord will deal with him. With Nabal, everyone strap on your sword. We're gonna commit mass murder tonight. He becomes consumed by it. David's about to commit murder. In fact, he tells Abigail, I was gonna kill all the males. of Nabal's house, and in fact he says, I would have killed you had you not come sooner. He would have killed Abigail. He's consumed, he's ruled and owned by anger, completely out of the bounds of justice. So often for us, brothers and sisters, we may have a just cause, but we use that, we abuse it, to commit injustice ourselves, really to avenge ourselves in murderous anger. Instead of this, James says we are to be slow of anger. Slow of anger. David was quick to anger. Be slow to anger. To be slow of anger in scripture is to have what scripture and theologians and philosophers called prautes, prautes, meekness. meekness, sometimes translated gentleness. Meekness today is often equated with humility, and though the two are very much related, in fact, one theologian says humility gives birth to meekness, yet they are not quite the same thing. Meekness is rather defined by theologians as a moderation of anger. specifically when you have a just cause, right? A moderation of anger. For example, William Ames says that meekness is a virtue which moderates anger. Or another theologian says meekness is the virtue by which anger is held under control so that it does not rage indiscriminately but is curbed, as it were, by a bridle, okay? Now really, that definition of meekness makes sense of a lot of occurrences of the word meekness in Scripture. It often occurs not just when someone demonstrates humility, but when they are not responding in vengeance, when perhaps they might otherwise. For example, You've probably heard Numbers 12.3, the man Moses was very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth. However, the King James and ESV are probably correct to translate it as meek. The man Moses was meek, praos in the Septuagint, and when you consider the context, he is showing restraint. He's being unjustly attacked by his brother and sister, and yet he says nothing. He lets God answer for him, and the only time that Moses opens his mouth is to intercede on behalf of his sister who has just insulted him. Similarly, Galatians 6.1, Paul says, brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, You who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness or meekness. There, a person is caught in a trespass. An injustice has happened, but Paul says, nevertheless, don't go beyond the bounds of justice. Restore them with meekness, restraining your anger. Lastly, And for me, this is like the smoking gun, I think, that the word meekness is really related to control with anger. James mentions it in the following verse of our present passage. James 1.21, he says, therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness in humility, meekness, receive the word implanted. Again, in the context, he's dealing with people who might be angry at the word they just heard, but he calls them to receive it with meekness as the opposite of anger. Now you might think, okay, Pastor Ryan, I'm sure some Puritan said that 400 years ago. I was pleased to find the following quote in the theological dictionary of the New Testament, which is by no means known as a bastion of theological conservatism, to say the least. It says, concerning this word, praos for Greek. It says, quote, in James 1.21, meekness is contrasted with anger, in verse 20, and it refers to a meek and humble readiness to be taught by the word of God without flaring up against teachers. That's not a Puritan, brothers and sisters. James then, by calling us to be slow to anger, James is calling us to meekness, which is to be angry for a just cause, but also in a way in which your anger does not consume you and that you do not yourself commit injustice. That's meekness, all right? Really, if you have meekness, the other two things will fall in line. You will be quick to hear and you will be slow to speak. Why? Because you are slow to anger, right? This brings us though to the million dollar question. How do I grow in meekness, pastor? How do I grow in meekness? Because I feel like no matter what I try, not only does anger rise up in me so quickly, but sometimes it consumes me. It takes over. It rules me. I am unwilling to listen in the moment, and I am so quick to speak. What do I do? Well, let me just say. It's beyond our time here to give a complete and full treatment of anger and meekness, but let me just encourage you with a few thoughts. First, anger is just like any other sin in that Jesus pardons it and His blood has broken its power. Whenever you are tempted to sinful anger, and this applies to any temptation whatsoever, remember that beautiful safe haven of a verse, 1 Corinthians 10, 13. No temptation has overtaken you, but such as is common to man. And God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide a way of escape so that you will be able to endure it. Sometimes it seems like anger just comes and hijacks our soul and it's taken us with it. But God always gives us a way of escape. He always allows you a way to close your mouth and start listening. Be sure to take it. Furthermore, the way you mortify anger is the same way you mortify any sin. The sin may be different, but the remedy is always the same. We put the flesh to death by means of the spirit. We use the word of the spirit. We pray in the spirit. We walk in the spirit. We use all the means of grace of the spirit by which God transforms us. And all of us come with all different kinds of sins today, and yet the means of grace are the same for us all, and they apply to all of us. And anger is just like any one of those. Furthermore, I would recommend to you though, if you are interested in a good book on anger, a book by John Downam, The Cure for Unjust Anger. The Cure for Unjust Anger, you can find it on Amazon for $7.49, it's excellent, it's thorough, it'll give you like basically the equivalent of 10 sermons on anger, more than we can do today, and they're all good, it's really good, all right? However, since we only have a little bit of time left, I think I will leave you with two meditations to encourage you to be slow to anger. And I take these, I think, from James himself, from our text. First, consider the final words of James in verse 20. He says, quote, for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Be slow to anger, for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. Brothers and sisters, unjust anger, the unjust anger of man only produces more injustice. It produces injustice in our relationships around us and it provokes injustice in others. Proverbs 15, one, a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 30, 33, for the churning of milk produces butter, and the pressing of the nose brings forth blood, so the churning of anger produces strife, strife between brothers and sisters. Furthermore, perhaps more frighteningly. Not only does anger produce injustice around us, but it produces injustice within us as well, and anger gives birth to many, many other sins, brothers and sisters. Proverbs 29, 22, an angry man stirs up strife, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression. abounds in transgression, a hot-tempered man. Furthermore, what is particularly scary about anger, this is true of all sins, but very much anger because it's so murderous, is that if left unchecked, it grows like a fire within us and it comes to rule us. You know, you think about this, I'm not saying this of anyone here, but I've heard this so often, of men who beat women. It is just a matter of time till he kills you." And so often that is true. His murderous rage is unchecked and so often it is just a matter of time until he kills them because it is left unchecked and it grows and it grows and it grows and it takes them to do things that they might otherwise never do. They might even hate But when they are in the grip and control of anger, it takes them all the way, brothers and sisters. There's a haunting painting that you can look at, titled Ivan the Terrible and Ivan His Son. It's a Russian painting. And it depicts what is supposedly a true scene of history in which Ivan the Terrible of Russia, the first Tsar of Russia, supposedly killed his son Ivan by striking him in the head with his staff in a fit of rage. And in the painting, the Tsar's eyes are open wide with madness as he clutches his dying son and his anger has left him and he comes to his senses and there's no text, right? But his eyes are saying, what have I done? What have I done? Brothers and sisters, the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. And if you let your anger rule you, You probably will never kill anyone like Ivan the Terrible, but you will kill with your words. And afterwards, when you come to your senses, you will say, what have I done? What have I done? Be slow to anger. The second meditation I want to give you to be slow to anger. is also, I believe, implied by James in that he is calling us to reflect God and that God is slow to anger with us. Now, we could very appropriately use this meditation to consider our own hypocrisy and how though God is patient and long-suffering with us, yet we are so impatient and quick to anger with others, and that is all true. However, I want to take it in a different direction today to give you a bit of grace before we leave, specifically if you are under conviction for your unjust anger. Be encouraged, Christian, that though you may be a great hypocrite, and we all are here today, our hypocrisy is great. Though we are the unforgiving servant God is still slow to anger with us. He is full of mercy, patience, long-suffering. Even to those who are quick to anger, He is the same God. He revealed Himself to be to Moses in Exodus 34. The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger. Yes, even towards those who are quick to anger. and abounding in loving kindness and truth, he keeps loving kindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin. Be encouraged, Christian. Rejoice. Though you justly deserve to be punished for your anger and your hypocrisy, Christ bore that in your place 2,000 years ago, and God does not treat you as your sins deserve. May that also melt your heart. May that be cold water thrown on the raging inferno of anger. May that be an icy wind that cools you down, the mercy of Christ, and therefore do not treat others as their sins deserve. Be slow of anger. And even if an injustice must be dealt with, do it in love and meekness, seeking the good of the offender as God has sought your own." Christ is merciful. He forgives us and He keeps giving more grace, though we don't deserve it. And be encouraged. Therefore, I say with James to all of you, brothers and sisters, This you know, my beloved brethren. Every one of you in CCRBC must be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. Amen? May God grant us His grace. Let's pray. Oh God, if it were not for the grace of Christ, Did you exact a strict accounting of us for our sin? We would have all been cast into hell so long ago. And yet, Lord, you are patient. You are long-suffering, Lord, in your anger. And also, when your anger comes, Lord, as the psalmist says, it is but for a moment. You are slow to anger and then your anger quickly disappears and your loving kindness is forever. Oh God, we confess that apart from the Spirit of God, we can pluck out no sin from our heart. And we cast ourselves upon your mercy and we pray that by the Spirit you would pluck up the great wickedness of unjust anger. and help us by your power to live the things and obey the commands that are given in this text.